title: Managing uncertainty in couples living with atrial fibrillation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Living with a chronic disease such as atrial fibrillation (AF) not only affects the patient but also has implications for the partner. There is a lack of research on couples living with AF and, in particular, how they experience and deal with the disease.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to explore couples' main concerns when one of the spouses is afflicted with AF and how they continually handle it within their partner relationship.
  
  
  METHODS
  Classical grounded theory was used throughout the study for data collection and analysis. Interviews were conducted with 12 couples (patient and partner together). There were follow-up interviews with 2 patients and 2 partners separately.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Couples living with AF experience uncertainty as a common main concern. This uncertainty was fundamentally rooted in not knowing the cause of AF and apprehension about AF episodes. Couples managed this uncertainty by either explicitly sharing concerns related to AF or through implicitly sharing their concerns. Explicit sharing incorporated strategies of mutual collaboration and finding resemblance, whereas implicit sharing incorporated strategies of keeping distance and tacit understanding. Time since diagnosis and time being symptom-free were factors influencing afflicted couples' shifting between implicit and explicit sharing.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Atrial fibrillation affects the partner relationship by bringing uncertainty into couples' daily lives. Even though this study shares similarities with previous studies on couples living with chronic disease, it contributes to the existing knowledge by presenting a set of strategies used by couples in managing uncertainty when living with AF.
authors.affiliation: Tomas Dalteg, MSc, RN Doctoral Student, School of Health Sciences, Jönköping University, Jönköping, Sweden. Eva Benzein, PhD, RN Professor, School of Health and Caring Sciences, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden. Anna Sandgren, PhD, RN Senior Lecturer, School of Health Sciences, Jönköping University, Jönköping, Sweden. Bengt Fridlund, PhD, RN Professor, School of Health Sciences, Jönköping University, Jönköping, Sweden. Dan Malm, PhD, RN Senior Lecturer, School of Health Sciences, Jönköping University, and Department of Internal Medicine, County Hospital Ryhov, Jönköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: Tomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dalteg
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Benzein
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sandgren
authors.forename: Bengt
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fridlund
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Malm
mesh_terms: D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000523:psychology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D066296:Grounded Theory; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D036301:Qualitative Research; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology; D035501:Uncertainty